T.N. election 2026: Once a Chief Minister’s citadel, Srirangam constituency yearns for more infrastructure development

Srirangam residents seek improved infrastructure and amenities to support rapid urbanization and growing tourism demands in the constituency.

The biggest in Tiruchi district in terms of the size of the electorate, the Srirangam Assembly constituency comprises a diverse mix of urban and rural populace.

With a major temple town in its midst and rapid urbanisation of its rural segments, the civic infrastructure in the constituency has been stretched to its limits in recent years.

The constituency encompasses the island of Srirangam, sandwiched between the Cauvery and Kollidam rivers, and vast stretches of semi-urban and rural areas falling under the Andhanallur and Manikandam unions. Mutherayars are dominant in the constituency, while Brahmins have substantial presence.

For long, Srirangam was perceived to be a safe seat for the AIADMK — the constituency has returned AIADMK candidates nine times since 1977. The DMK was able to achieve a breakthrough in 1996 and the party’s M. Palaniyandi wrested it again from the AIADMK in 2021. In 1989, Y. Venkateswara Dikshithar of Janata Party, backed by the DMK, tasted electoral success.

The constituency was nourished and nurtured by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, after she was elected from here in 2011. The recently opened new bus terminus in Srirangam and an additional road over bridge that is coming up across the Cauvery are significant developments that the constituency has witnessed over the past five years.

In recent elections, a dispute between the Ranganathaswamy Temple administration and a section of residents over ownership of properties around the temple remains a dominant poll issue.